I’m someone who absolutely loves all things filmy; from happily-ever-afters to plots that don’t really make sense, and from too-good-to-be-true pairings to fairytale-like romances, I happily believe it all. In fact, I love to paint my life with this exact energy! Because honestly, there’s enough reality in our lives—it’s the fairytale, the unexplainable, limitless hope, the chance encounters and love at first sight, that we need more of.
Watching movies, be it Hindi ones or English, is one of my favourite things to do with everyone I love—I fantasise about recreating movies in my own life, about moments from my own life that resemble those straight out of films. I imagine my favourite soundtracks as a background to everything that happens to me, whether good or bad.
Remember when Ted Mosby from How I Met Your Mother did up the iconic 2-minute date for his female interest, Stella? Albeit a show (a very sweet one at that). Or when Celine and Jesse walk around the length of Italy in one night, devouring wine, history, cheese, and each other’s stories. I have these scenes memorised in my mind, through and through, in hopes of the off-chance of doing something similar. I keep bringing these up in conversations with friends, as an instance of just how creative meals and dates can really get in the world of rose-tinted fiction.
If you’re like me and love films so much, then you mustn’t settle for anything less this Valentine’s Day! 2026 is the year we’re bidding adieu to low-effort dates at your local nook-in-the-wall joint, and saying hello to beautifully curated, nostalgic recreations of your favourite watches. Read on for some inspiration!
Paella from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara
Who can forget Arjun (Hrithik Roshan)’s iconic and authentic paella—which he cooked with his very own expertise, not to mention—which led to the long-brewing spark between him and Laila (Katrina Kaif)?
Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara is my top-tier film. Whenever I’m asked my favourite movie, this is probably the first answer that enters my head, without any space for second thoughts. Otherwise, a story of friendship and a wonderful, wonderful road trip through Spain, an aspect I dearly enjoyed in ZNMD, is the way Arjun’s character transforms over the arc of the film, as his relationship with Laila takes centre-stage. It’s as if she’s all the Carpe Diem-ness he really needed, which is precisely what I love so much about the film—because yes, it really does take one person!
Ajun is famously a good cook, and when he finally makes time in life to do things like cooking, paella becomes his first pick, right after he and his two friends complete their first dive. It’s a beautiful learning, shared over some wine and paella, when Arjun realises it really didn’t take all that much to loosen up, and accept that yes, I really will only live once. The paella is really the first moment we see the pair connect, which is precisely why it has, since then, lived rent-free in my head.
So if you, like me, are a Zoya Akhtar loyalist, obsessed with the ins and outs of ZNMD, or just love Spanish cuisine, this dish, paired with your wine of choice and some store-bought candles, would make for the most intimate V-day meal!
Neapolitan Pizza from Eat, Pray, Love
It’s a moment of absolute liberation, seeing Liz (Julia Roberts) let go of her apprehensions and make her way to Italy, simply to find her way back to herself, and eat some of the world’s most delicious (even that is an understatement) Neapolitan pizza right where it was first created—in Naples!
After going through a long overdue divorce, Liz sets out on her own journey to do three things precisely (hint: it’s in the title): eat, pray, and maybe, just maybe, find love! Traversing solo through Italy, India, and Bali, Liz finds herself at her most carefree, from eating to accepting spirituality. My favourite scene from the film comes when she’s in Italy, devouring—so satisfyingly—an entire Neapolitan Pizza with a girl she just met. When the girl proclaims her apprehension of gaining weight, Liz says one of the most celebrated dialogues in all of the film: “I am so tired of saying no, and waking up in the morning, and recalling every single thing I ate… and counting calories… I’m not doing it anymore. Let’s go buy some bigger jeans… just buy some bigger jeans, you know?”
We’ve all been victims of counting calories one too many times in our lives. And this scene reminds us why…we must not! Just like Liz will never be that young stuffing her face with the world’s best pizza right in the heart of Italy, we won’t be either. So, if you love pizza and try to cut down every time you crave it, take this Valentine’s Day as a sign—a sign to order yourself an extra-large pizza even if it’s just for yourself.
Bread and Jam as “Cake,” Chai, and Omelette from Wake Up Sid
“Yeh bhi toh ek party hai…tum, main, aur do cup chai?” is one of my most favourite dialogues from a Bollywood film ever, which comes exactly when Aisha (Konkona Sen Sharma) and Sid (Ranbir Kapoor) are perched on her terrace, talking of all things life and otherwise.
Wake Up Sid’s entire concept serves as a gentle reminder that nothing you do really needs to be that fancy if you do it with a whole lot of heart. As the pair navigate their way about the city of dreams—Mumbai—they come to find each other in such simple offerings of their life. Be it in their 2 cups of chai, the omelette that Sid slowly but eventually learns to cook, or the bread and jam cake he so dearly serves to Aisha on the occasion of her birthday: it’s nothing if not gestures made simply out of love and care. As they say, it’s really the thought that counts!
When we’re with our loved ones, the ‘where’ or ‘what’ rarely matters, and even things as plain as a 2-ingredient sandwich with a candle on top seem Michelin-starred. For lovers of quieter, cosier plans and meals (or just those who’re Wake Up Sid fanatics), such a date-night-in sounds just divine. Because, in the slightly modified words of Aisha Banerjee, it really doesn’t take much to make it an occasion—sometimes, just tea is enough!
Wine and Cheese from Before Sunrise
For the longest time, Celine’s (Julie Delpy) and Jesse’s (Ethan Hawke) romance, which develops over a mere 24 hours, thanks to a chance encounter and a day to spare, was my most favourite romcom of all. Bathed in rose-tinged sunlight, the pair walk across Italy (mind you, neither of them is from the city, they just happened ot bump into each other in a train), learning of whether God is real, reading poetry, discussing the secrets of life, appreciating art, and falling in love—what could sound better than that? For me, there isn’t a date more iconic than this.
As they roam about the city, they not only learn more about Italian culture and heritage, but also about each other. And Paris may be the city of love, but Vienna surely comes in a close second. And while we can’t really catch a flight all the way to Europe just for the sake of recreation (although, if you can, I strongly encourage it), we sure can do something similar—a date built solely around wine and cheese!
Among my most-loved parts of the movie is when I sit at local cafes and restaurants, participating in the culture of what’s around them. Be it delicious Italian espresso or the iconic pairing of red wine and cheese, their meals look a lot like something I’d love to build my V-day around! So, to inculcate a bit of that Italian-scented magic in your lives, gather some merlot (or pinot noir), some delicious cheddar and swiss cheese, and keep freshly brewing espresso handy. But of course, Vienna is waiting for you!
Spaghetti and Meatballs from Lady And The Tramp
There are few cinematic love stories as iconic as Lady and the Tramp, based not on humans but on two adorable pups!
There are no dramatic speeches or big gestures here, just a stray dog, a cocker spaniel, and a single plate of spaghetti that changed how pop culture sees romance. The famous alleyway scene, where the two dogs share spaghetti and meatballs, might be the most well-known romantic food moment in animation. It feels gentle, unplanned, and honest. We love it because we see a bit of ourselves in those dogs. The scene, which is even on the movie poster, reminds us of the kind of love that surprises you when you least expect it—the best type of all.
What makes the scene work isn’t just the food, but the intimacy of it. Two characters, one plate, soft music playing in the background, and a shared bowl of spaghetti that slowly pulls them closer, quite literally. And to think that this wasn’t between two humans is (just) slightly insane to me, but I wouldn’t have had it any other way. The famous noodle kiss—now done so often—doesn’t come as planned or performative in this animated masterpiece; it just… happens. And that’s precisely the charm of it. The spaghetti and meatballs become a metaphor for falling in love without overthinking it!
If you want to channel Lady and the Tramp this Valentine’s Day, remember, it won’t take much. Just a warm plate of spaghetti in rich tomato sauce, a few well-seasoned meatballs, and a bottle of red wine. Dim the lights, play Bella Notte softly in the background, and share the plate—no second servings, and definitely no phones.
An Asian Feast from Crazy Rich Asians
Crazy Rich Asians, as I remember it, was the first film that got me interested in Singapore and in the lavish offerings of Asian culture. From the moment Rachel (Constance Wu) is introduced to Nick (Henry Golding)’s world, food becomes one of the most significant languages through which they navigate their culture, family, and traditions.
The feast, organised at Nick’s luxurious palace-cum-home, is gloriously overwhelming—think Cantonese roast meats glistening under warm lights, towering platters of seafood, dumplings folded with generations of muscle memory, chilli crab meant to be eaten messily, and endless bowls of rice and noodles that keep arriving long after you’re full. This isn’t food meant to be plated delicately or eaten politely. It’s celebratory, communal, and abundant. In many ways, the scale of the spread mirrors the emotional weight of the film—love here is never private; it is witnessed, judged, and shared.
To recreate it, go big and go shared: order (or cook) multiple Asian dishes—dumplings, stir-fried greens, sticky ribs, seafood in bold sauces, fried rice, and something extremely saucy, so much so that the recipe demands napkins. Because at its core, Crazy Rich Asians isn’t just about wealth (even if it’s quite literally in the name_—it’s about choosing love amidst chaos! And what better way to honour that than with a very loud feast, even more delicious and impossible to forget. If you do a Pan-Asian mukbang this Valentine’s, I promise you won’t regret a second of it!
A Classic Indian Home-Cooked Meal from The Lunchbox
Love is often said to be about comfort—be it comfortable silences, comfort in simplicity, or comfort in food!
From Irrfan Khan’s The Lunchbox, we come to terms with this simplicity exactly. Love is more than what the world knows of it, and that is what The Lunchbox teaches us. Love is not definitive, composite or objective—and yes, it can indeed exist without a sense of identity, in mere letters, exchanged under the guise of a home-cooked meal on a working day! What I loved most about this film was its distinctness; just how fresh it was to watch the story of these two people unfold, without them ever having met or even seen each other.
As someone who takes pleasure in eating the simplest, warmest home-cooked meals with a lot of gusto, a Valentine’s dinner in, with yellow (moong) dal, paneer bhurji, and roti on the menu, sounds absolutely divine! Not only is it easy on the pocket (even though that’s a big crowd-puller), it’s intimate, gives one an excuse to do something together, and is sure to taste just like home. We’re nothing if not the food that makes us, us, and The Lunchbox reminds us of just that, one steel dabba at a time!
Read more: Staying In On NYE? These Movies Could Be Your Best Companion
Also read: Culinary Tourism Is Booming And Here Are All The Destinations To Visit
